Teenage mutant ninja turtles ( 1990 )
As an unsolved crime wave rises in New York City, news reporter April O'Neil covers the reports and rumors of a mysterious 'Foot Clan', a gang of ninjas plaguing the city. April's coverage eventually gains the attention of the Shredder, leader of the Foot, who orders her to be silenced. She is attacked by the Foot in a subway and knocked unconscious while trying to defend herself. Raphael (who has been following April to retrieve a sai he had lost in a previous battle) emerges from the shadows and easily fights off the Foot. He carries April back to the Turtles' hideout, unaware that one of the Foot is following him. Splinter then recounts to an astonished April their origins: once ordinary animals living in the sewer, they were mutated into intelligent, human-sized creatures by a discarded canister of toxic waste. The Turtles escort April back home. Upon their return to the sewers, the Turtles find their home ransacked and Splinter kidnapped. With nowhere else to go, the four distraught Turtles return to April's apartment and spend the night there. Meanwhile, the Foot Clan continues to grow, incorporating a number of delinquent teens into their ranks. One of these teens is Danny Pennington, the son of April's supervisor Charles Pennington, who is arrested for robbery. After bailing Danny out of jail, Charles stops by April's apartment, where Danny incidentally catches a glimpse of one of the Turtles in hiding. He then reports back to Shredder, who has been searching for the Turtles. At April's apartment, Leo and Raph get into a heated argument. Raph goes to the roof, where the Foot ambush him. Comatose, he's thrown through April's skylight, and the Turtles scramble to defend themselves from the Foot. Things look bleak until the arrival of Casey Jones, who helps them fight off the remaining Foot warriors. However, the building catches fire during the melee, and the Turtles are forced to retreat. They retreat to a farm that belongs to April's family, and Casey informs her that she was fired from her job after hearing an answering machine message shortly before the escape. Raph eventually recovers from his coma, and the Turtles train together vigorously while April and Casey fall in love. At one point, Leo manages to make contact with Splinter through meditation, and after the Turtles witness him in a shared vision, they decide to return to New York to find and rescue him. Despite being a member of the Foot Clan, Danny has secretly been taking counsel from Splinter, who shares with him the story of his master Hamato Yoshi's murder by a rival ninja named Oroku Saki. Splinter explains that during the struggle, Splinter's cage was broken and he lunged at Saki's face, clawing and biting him in vengeance for his master. Saki, bleeding and enraged, sliced off part of his ear with a katana. When Danny learns Shredder intends to have Splinter killed, he and Casey set him free from captivity. Although the Foot were set to ambush the Turtles in the sewers upon their return, the Turtles manage to turn the tables on them. The fight escalates into the streets above and eventually onto a rooftop, where the Turtles finally face off against Shredder, but prove to be no match for him. Leo eventually scores a hit with his ninjato, but is ultimately disarmed and pinned to the ground. Before Shredder can finish Leo off, Splinter appears and challenges him to a fight. Splinter names Shredder as Oroku Saki, and Saki removes his mask and touches his scar, remembering how Splinter gave it to him. Saki then charges Splinter who, using Michelangelo's nunchaku, ensnares the Shredder's yari, leaving him to dangle precariously over the roof's edge. In desperation, the Shredder throws a tanto from his belt, but when Splinter reaches up to catch it, his grip is released and Saki falls into the back of a garbage truck. Casey then pulls the lever to activate the compactor, crushing the Shredder. As the police arrive on the scene, the teens inform them on where all the stolen goods can be found. Reunited with Splinter, the Turtles watch as April and Casey finally share a kiss. While trying to come up with a proper word to celebrate their victory, Splinter suggests the phrase "Cowabunga." The Turtles unanimously agree, and Splinter declares, "I made a funny!" and laughs as the film ends.